The Three New Rules Of Effective Online Promotions

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[object Object],[object Object],It’s about getting people to do one thing when you really want them to do something else. People are wary of that, so you also have to give them prizes. © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],© 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],Start out with the most basic question: What’s more important to you – volume or content? Sweepstakes = volume Contest = content © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],There’s a basic equilibrium underlying all promotions. Volume of Entries Quality of Content Instant-Win Sweeps Enter-to-Win Sweeps Text-Only Contest Video/Photo Contest Completely Unscientific and Reductive but Still Reliable Scatterplot of Volume vs. Content Considerations in Various Promotion Types © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],At the risk of being even more reductive, it all comes down to the entry form. The number and type of fields is a very good predictor of volume of responses. Better response rate. Poorer response rate. © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],The instant-win sweeps Business goals: traffic volume, opt-in volume Ideal for generating volume in a compressed time period. Generally higher administrative burden due to higher fraud risk and daily management. © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],The enter-to-win sweeps Business goals: traffic volume, opt-in volume Easiest to execute and administer. Generally lower volume than instant-win. © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],User-generated content contest – text only Business goals: Brand interaction, useable content, loyalty building Richer interactions, highly participatory, but generally lower volume © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],User-generated content contest – video/photo Business goals: Brand interaction, useable content, loyalty building Richest interactions, but significantly lower volume than all other methods © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],Most sweeps/contest entries occur during work hours. Therefore, asking participants for anything that’s not accessible at work will turn most of them away. © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],Equilibrium applies to the prize pool too. In general, a few big prizes won’t perform as well as many small ones. Vacation in the Alps 50 pairs of hiking boots © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],The brand impact varies by promotion type, but every promotion is a brand interaction. For better… Or for worse. © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],Even a simple sweeps is an opportunity to reinforce the brand by making the theme relevant and the interaction meaningful. © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],UGC contests are the very best brand interactions you can have with your customers. What could be better than turning your brand evangelists into content producers? © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],But that’s also where most UGC contests fall short. Another rule of thumb: if you ask for content, use the content. © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],The most obvious way to make a promotion more sociable is to allow users to share and rate content. © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],The limitation: your promo site isn’t actually a social network. Most users will enter the contest then exit the site like a house on fire. © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],The alternative: run the promo on a social network site, where rating and sharing is what it’s all about. © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],Another major advantage to running contests on the social networks: you’re allowing users to enter content they’ve already created. © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],More entries for less development cost… What’s the downside? © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission. Traffic diversion away from your Web site.

[object Object],[object Object],No matter where the promo takes place, if you’re not seeding it, you’re missing most of your potential traffic. This includes vertical content forums… © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],… and contest/sweepstakes aggregators. Yes, they have names like MrFreeFree. But they do work. © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

[object Object],[object Object],Demand economy of scale from multiple promotions: develop and own logic that can be reskinned and reused. Same engine and interface, entirely different promos © 2009 White Horse Productions, Inc. Content may not be reused without permission.

The Three New Rules Of Effective Online Promotions

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The Three New Rules Of Effective Online Promotions